It’s taken me a week to get over the shock of being surrounded by a bunch of nudists.

They were in all shapes and sizes, including some with flabby tummies and boobs and a few in reasonably good shape.

Before you get too carried away dreaming the prospect of sexual conquests there wasn’t a single person under 40 and most were in their 50s and 60s.

I remained fully clothed when Ireland’s first international naturists’ congress invited me to attend their opening session at the Lough Allen Hotel at the edge of a beautiful lake in Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim.

Dress for the indoors Press Conference was optional. So I could dress formally or casually

Oh, how wrong that was!

They meant you could turn up bollock-naked if you liked or you could keep your clothes on.

I don’t know how many of you readers ever had reason to turn up fully dressed among a group of unclothed people.

If you did you might have felt as I did – awkward, embarrassed and totally…well…overdressed

You see, if everybody around you is starkers and you are fully-dressed the overwhelming impression is that they are doing nothing wrong. You are the odd one out.

Although I kept my clothes on – of course – it didn’t take long to adapt. All that was necessary was to keep eyes at face-level when talking to the women and to avoid a downward glance when chatting to the lads

Now, let’s forget the jokes and giggling!

There was a serious side to all that happened in Drumshanbo. The event was supported by Failte Ireland and it had it’s top guy from the Wild Atlantic Way scheme to welcome 150 naturists to Ireland.

No point wondering what a guy from a tourism coastal promotion scheme was doing at nudity event inland. Well, that’s what I thought at first, but I was quickly enlightened.

Drumshanbo is only about 45 minutes from the coast. The overseas naturists had plenty of spare time during their four-day event so Failte Ireland laid on quite a few tours for them.

There are 22 million naturists around the world. They are suitably accommodated on quiet beaches in many countries.

In Ireland, although there are a few remote beaches used by nudists they still break the law if somebody complains that offence has been caused.

Whether we like it or not, most of the visiting naturists are quite ordinary people happily prepared to enjoy Ireland and its delights and to spend a few quid.

They are not naked all the time.

All they are looking for – and they made that clear at the congress – is an opportunity to frolic around naked as they do on reserved beaches in France, Spain, England and elsewhere.

They are just into being naked. It doesn’t mean they leap on each other sexually all the time. To be honest, I reckon quite a few of them were past that sort of caper, anyway, and just enjoy the nippy air touching every part of their body.

Naturists could add a few hundred million euro yearly to Irish tourism! So why not let them come.

Apparently, all that is needed for it not to be illegal here is for councils to pass bye-laws agreeing that signs could be erected on quiet beaches stressing that those areas are for nudists.

If anybody walked past that sign and suddenly encountered a man or woman in the buff they could hardly justify saying they were offended.

Irish naturist Eamonn Scully reckoned the real problem is that politicians who support nudists are not prepared to put their heads above the parapet and propose necessary new law.

As he quite rightly pointed out in Drumshanbo: “It is not our desire or intention to walk around nude in O’Connell Street in Dublin or anywhere like that. What we really want is to be able to go to a beach and enjoy ourselves nude without having to wear swimming togs and to be left alone.”

Drumshanbo was Ireland’s first international naturists’ congress in 34 that have been held around the world over the past 60 years.

Know what! Just for daring to defy the Irish weather they deserve a few quiet beaches of their own where they can be legal in the nip.